Eriador
Eriador was born in Valenwood in 4E 148 and was raised in the major city of Arenthia, near the border to Cyrodiil. At a young age, he showed an aptitude for Illusion spells; he could muffle his footsteps at the age of 6, turn invisible at 12, and frenzy even the strongest of foes at 14. He grew up with a lust for knowledge, and when the local Mages could teach him no more, he set off for the Imperial City. He joined the Synod and the College of Whispers and ran a bookstore for many years. However, in 4E 174, the Thalmor sacked the Imperial City. After they killed his assistant and burned his store (as well as all of his research), he exacted his revenge by killing over a dozen Thalmor soldiers as well as a few Thalmor captains before fleeing the city. No longer welcome in his Thalmor-controlled homeland and with nothing for him elsewhere, he had no choice but to go into hiding within Cyrodiil. He changed his name to Rindir and carefully created his new identity. He severed all ties with magicka to keep his identity secret. For nearly twenty-seven years, he lived a quiet life in Skingrad, an alchemist by day and an avid researcher by night. He joined the local Fighters Guild to learn more about fighting with the blade, but he hid his talents so as not to draw attention to himself. He made a point of silently killing any Thalmor agent that dared to venture into the West Weald. In the dead of night on the 5th day of Sun’s Dusk, he awoke to see a Thalmor agent standing over him, a knife held above his head. Rindir muttered a quick Calm charm, then pulled a knife out from under his pillow and killed the assassin. Realizing that his cover had been blown, he quickly fled to Bruma. After hiding out there for a few weeks, he decided that Cyrodiil was no longer safe and that he was better off going all the way into Skyrim. He changed his name to Ajax, and at the end of the year 4E 200, he crossed the border, on his way to Whiterun and a new beginning. Skyrim As per his lust for knowledge, he is trying to collect every Daedric artifact, as well as every Word of Power. In his past, he dedicated most of his time to researching souls, and Dragon Souls in particular. He discovered the secret to absorbing them - by turning part of his own mind into a soul gem, a feat that can be accomplished by only the strongest of minds and by those born with the power. Combined with his quick learning of the Thu'um, many people think he's a Dovahkiin. Perhaps he really is... When he's not collecting, he likes to read the library of books he's collected while sitting in front of the fire, as well as rearranging the countless unique items and artifacts he's uncovered. He likes Breezehome the best, but he's taken a liking to the bookshelves and dedicated armory in Vlindrel Hall. After slaying Alduin and working with all of the factions (see below), Eriador has started exploring the land, by horse and by foot. He is biding his time until he finally settles down and history is rewritten. Experience with Factions *Naturally, anyone seeking knowledge in Skyrim would join the College of Winterhold. He thoroughly enjoyed slaying Ancano, although he wished he could've saved the Arch Mage's life. He is good friends with Urag gro-Shub and Drevis Neloren, and any research not done on the field is done at the College. *Intrigued by tales of lycanthropy, he joined the Companions. He found more than he bargained for, though. He found an honorable organization of noble warriors, people who he could trust with his life. He found lycanthropy, of course. Above all, he found love. He fell in love with and has married Aela the Huntress. *As a lot of his killings involved stealth, he decided to try joining the Dark Brotherhood. At first, their cause seemed cruel yet noble, but the organization quickly revealed itself as ignoble and shameless, an evil band of mercenaries who murder for the sake of death. After being forced to kill the puppet of an Emperor, he killed the person who gave him the contract and abandoned the organization forever. *Frustrated with the previous failure, he instead joined the Thieves Guild. At least this criminal society was honest about their actions rather than hiding behind religious dogma. Their work isn't honest, but he did learn a lot. He learned how to pick locks, pick pockets, and pick strategies. He learned, on a whole new level, the importance of why - why do what you do, and why that way? He may not have done the purest of actions within the Guild, but he felt it was justified because it was done for the sake of knowledge. Of course, the Skeleton Key was a nice bonus. *On a whim, he joined the Bard's College. It was intriguing to discover the secret of King Olaf, but there was little else to do. *The Skyrim Civil War presented a great opportunity for revenge against the Thalmor. He joined the Stormcloaks, but it was not an easy decision. He fully supports the idea of the Empire, and sees it as necessary for political unity. However, they had acquiesced to the Thalmor once, and they were bound to do it again. The Stormcloaks could fight off the Empire and with them the Thalmor, and after catching their breath could bring the fight to the imperialistic High Elves. The point wasn't to get Ulfric Stormcloak into power, since odds are he'd be killed within the next few years (possibly by Eriador's own hand). The point was to give the people a person to lead them, to unite them to drive off the great evil of the Thalmor. Skyrim's uprising, combined with Hammerfell's, would eradicate any faith that the Empire made the right choice and possibly drive the provinces to join and bring the fight to the Thalmor. It would cause some disunity, but it would not disassemble the Empire, and it would lead to the eradication of one of the greatest evils to rule the land. Religious Beliefs As a scholar, he has little time for religion. That is not to say he dislikes the Gods - he just focuses his energy elsewhere. As far as the Ae'dra, he follows the pantheon of the Nine Divines. He does not actively worship any gods, but if he did, he'd worship Julianos. He highly respects Mara. As far as the Daedra, he's wise enough to know not to follow them. He, like other scholars, is interested in Hermaeus Mora, but he wouldn't want to be stuck in Apocrypha for eternity. His favorite Daedra is by far Sheogorath, and he makes a point of exclusively eating cheese on his Summoning Day, the 2nd day of Sun's Dawn. Eriador also feels that he's one of the very few mortals that can understand Sheogorath, although Sheogorath might have simply tricked Eriador into thinking so... Category:Characters Category:Characters-Gameplay